earthsalt

@sailornurse: Out of curiosity, where did you obtain your MSN/FNP and do they offer a post-master's FNP option? Thanks!

You may be interested in the following program. Their focus is Mental Health and Primary Care for Rural Populations. Upon completion of this program you are eligible to sit for both FNP & PMHNP boards. Nurse Practitioner | Capstone College of Nursing - The University of Alabama

If you're not set on having to have a DNP at this point, there's always the post master's certificate option. Many schools (both online and brick and mortar) offer post master certificates in differing nurse practitioner specialties. Depending on your transcript, this process could take as little as three semesters and that's primarily due to the required clinical hours involved. This option could have you out quicker to possibly get in with the anesthesiologist that you mentioned. As far as your concern about having only OR experience, I can't speak from personal experience. I can say that I had a classmate in my AGACNP program who had been a nurse for 5+ years (with all of her experience being in the OR) and she had a very hard time. She said that things just didn't seem to "click" for her like she did the rest of our class because she wasn't as familiar with different labs, patho and etc. She eventually dropped from the program to try and get some bedside experience. You can take that with a grain of salt as everyone is different and learns differently. Just my (limited) experience with the subject. Best of luck to you!

Just an update...I've also recently received a tentative job offer in a local ER upon graduation. Base rate is $55+/hour with benefits. So the nephrologist will really have to sweeten his deal if he wants to keep me. ?

Thanks for all of the replies. I will definitely take this all into consideration when/if I were to negotiate a contract with this particular practice.

Cardiac: Thanks for the reply. I was actually kind of thinking along the same lines as you in regards to the counter and the fact that I, as a new grad, will not be able to see the same number of patients as him, right out of the gate especially. I will also keep in mind the questions you've asked when negotiating a potential contract.

I'm an ACNP student with the majority of my RN experience being in a community hospital ( 16 bed SICU, 16 Bed MICU and 12 Bed CICU) and I'm curious how the billing aspect of NP's providing ICU procedures works. Do you bill under your own NPI at the reduced rate? This is one reason the intensivist program at my hospital has been unable to get any NP coverage because the facility will not allow NP's to bill for a procedure when they can have an MD/DO do the same procedure and bill for more.

I am currently still in NP school (2 semesters to go ). I have been talkin with a nephrologist about possibly adding an NP to his practice. In doing so, he has asked me if I would be interested in working for him after graduation. He has a very large practice for the area in which we are located. He and one other nephrologist (they are currently recruiting new partners as well) See 60+ patients between 2 local hospitals daily, 20+ patients/day in clinic and have over 300 outpatient dialysis patients between 7 local dialysis clinics. He is looking to add an NP to cover the 300 or so dialysis clinic patients. While there have been no specifics discussed in terms of a contract, he did tell me that he is considering highering the NP on with productivity reimbursement only (no salary/hourly wage). However, he is not talking about being reimbursed for what I bill, he is referring to a fixed amount per patient seen. This was his proposal, "I will give you $10/patient you see. If you see all 300 patients in one week, that's $3000/week or $150,000/year. That's more than many physicians make after overhead." Like I said before, there were no other specifics discussed in regards to benefits. My questions to you are: 1) What are your thoughts on this offer? 2) What questions should I be asking and/or negotiating when the time comes? 3) Is it even possible to see 300 patients/week? I mean, that's 60/day if you work 5 days/week. 4) Can any of you that are currently practicing in outpatient dialysis tell me what all your job entails? Thanks in advance for your thoughts! Be blessed!

Hello, I am currently an ACNP student and work critical care (16 MICU, 16 SICU, 4 CCU) in a rural hospital (360 bed total) in the Southeast. I have been talking with the Critical Care Medical Director (whom I am also precepting with) about the possibility of starting NP coverage for our critical care units. He is very NP friendly and loves to teach. He is just uncertain of how this model can be implemented effective in a non-academic, rural medical center with no residents/fellows. There is also not an MD in the units 24/7, actually, the only MD in the building after 7 pm is the ED MD (I know, right?). He has tasked me with determining whether or not NP coverage is feasible in this type of environment as well as finding if there are other similar facilities that are effectively using NP coverage in their ICUs. How would the billing work in this type of set up? Could an NP peform ICU procedures (intubations, CVL placements and etc) if there is not an attending MD on the unit? The Critical Care Medical Director is very much for the idea, our biggest problem lies in the fact that the hospital itself essentially owns the intensivist group (they are not private practice), so we have to pitch the idea and get approval from the hospital in order to implement this model. Any help/experience you can provide with this situation will be greatly appreciated!

It's my understanding that they now only start in the summer and fall semesters for the general entry NP programs for those who are already BSN prepared nurses. This (http://www.uab.edu/nursing/home/images/stories/info_sa/MSN_Flyer_NP_Family.pdf) link shows a sample plan of study for each start date with the summer start date actually having one more semester than the fall. It does appear, however, that the AMNP program does still have a spring start date. http://www.uab.edu/nursing/home/images/stories/info_sa/AMNP_Fact_Sheet.pdf

I'm in the Fall 2013 ACNP cohort at UAB. We were told during our orientation that out of state students paid the same rate as in state students because they had gotten some kind of grant.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who hasn't heard anything yet and also glad I'm not the only one going to the June orientation. Lol

Has anyone heard anything about the drug screens yet? I've been having trouble with a lot of mass emails getting sent to my spam inbox and I just want to make sure that's haven't missed it. Thanks guys!